Orlando Magic: If they don’t draft Trae Young, be very angry

With the sixth pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, the Orlando Magic have the opportunity to draft Trae Young and possess something they haven’t had in a very long time: a potential franchise point guard.

On June 7, Trae Young had an individual workout with the Orlando Magic. After this workout, Young had this to say about the Magic:

"“You definitely envision it, when you put on this [black, sleeveless Magic] shirt or step on this court, you have to envision yourself being here every day and working out. Nighttime and when you are alone on those early mornings, you have to envision all of that if you want to be great.”"

If the Magic want to be great moving forward, they have to envision this as well. Trae has the opportunity to give them something they haven’t had since Jameer Nelson: a true game-changer at point guard and someone to be a genuine leader at that position.

If you can reduce the Magic’s latest season to one moment, it was a viral tweet sent out by their own Twitter page on April 23. When you have nothing to celebrate, this is what you celebrate.

Yes, you read that right. The Magic’s backup point guard Shelvin Mack was praised on Twitter for averaging less than four assists a game AND leading the team in said category. After surely firing their social media intern and questioning all reality, this sobering moment speaks to a higher truth for this organization. They have basically been point guard-less since 2012.

I know that Elfrid Payton was a solid contributor for the Magic since he was picked up by them in the 2014 NBA Draft, but after trading him away for almost nothing at the trade deadline this year, can his Magic career be looked at as anything but disappointing?

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His career was marred by shooting woes, inconsistency, turnover problems and long hair that impaired his already bad shooting. Seriously, he will probably be most remembered in Orlando not for his play, but for his hair that got in his eyes when shooting. The worst part of Payton’s career in Orlando? Probably what the Magic gave up to get him on draft night.

The Sixers drafted Payton with the 10th pick that night. Sam Hinkie, the Philadelphia 76ers’ former general manager and “Trust the Process” aficionado, knew that the Magic were interested in Payton. He worked out a deal that came back to bite the Magic pretty badly.

Orlando picked Dario Saric 12th overall, then immediately traded him to the Sixers. Not only did they get Saric, the Sixers also got the Magic’s 2017 top-11 protected first round pick and a 2015 second-rounder. Essentially, the Magic traded away two firsts and a second for a player that eventually was traded for peanuts by the 2018 trade deadline. Another bad Magic move.

All of this sets the stage for the Magic to put their point guard messes behind them. Barring a surprise move by the Atlanta Hawks or one of the other teams picking 1-5, Trae Young will be there at No. 6. Picking him would, in my opinion, be the smartest move for Orlando.

All eyes were on Young this season at Oklahoma. His eye-popping stats generated attention and comparisons to another undersized point guard with range out to the parking lot. He was the first player in NCAA Division I history to lead the country in both points and assists and did this against some of the stiffest competition in the country, playing in the Big 12. While there are some red flags about Trae’s game moving forward. I believe that the pros outweigh the cons.

Trae’s game is perfect for today’s NBA. He’s a do-everything point guard with great range, exceptional vision, a solid first step and for his size and an ability to finish in the lane well against taller competition. For a high-volume shooter, he still shot 42.2 percent from the field and 36 percent from 3. He averaged 8.7 assists a game and even gathered 4.0 boards a game as well. He showed the ability to blow past bigger defenders and utilize his speed to create for others. He can get into the lane easily and can finish there as well.

With Steve Clifford, he would also have a coach that is experienced in utilizing score-first point guards in an offense. The way that Kemba Walker developed into an All-Star under Clifford is promising for any young guard joining a Clifford-led team.

An underrated aspect of his game is his confidence and his refusal to be afraid of the big moment. The national limelight was on him from game one this year and he constantly delivered. Detractors will point to the fact that after going 12-1, Oklahoma only went 6-12 those next 18, but that was not Young’s fault.

In those 12 losses, Young still averaged 27.4 points per game and 7.8 assists per game as well. He faced some of the toughest home crowds in college basketball where every fan was against him and as millions more watched on TV, Young continued to put the ball in the hole at a blistering pace.

There are the negatives to consider, of course. Is he too much of a high-volume shooter? Will players enjoy playing with him given his need for shots to potentially be effective? Will he be constantly exposed on defense given his slight frame, average lateral quickness and lack of height? Will his questionable shot selection hinder his development as an NBA point guard? These are all questions that will be shored up in his rookie year, but hopefully for the Magic, they won’t be too much of a worry.

At the end of the day, what the Magic need to be craving is excitement. They had the second-lowest local TV ratings out all teams in the league and the fourth biggest drop from last season at 25 percent. They also only ranked 17th out of 30 teams in total attendance for the 2017-18 season.

With Young being the poster boy for college basketball last season and someone whose game has become recognizable even to a casual basketball fan, the Magic could bring some much-needed energy to the Amway Center next year with his arrival. He would get eyeballs on the team, butts in the seat and potentially, some national TV games, which the Magic ranked dead last in the last two seasons.

Next: 2018 NBA Mock Draft - Final edition

If Trae young is at No. 6 and Orlando decides to go with someone else, Magic fans should be very angry.